


Wish Upon a Grave Mistake

by SamCyberCat



Series: Wish Upon a... [3]
Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, M/M, gravekeeper Nao, graverobber Natsuya
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-08-08 21:07:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16436789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamCyberCat/pseuds/SamCyberCat
Summary: The ambitious graverobber, Natsuya Kirishima, has returned to his old stomping ground of Iwatobi to see what treasures he can take to turn in for a profit. But a lot has changed in the years that Natsuya's been away and he makes the mistake of trying to steal from the town's most dedicated gravekeeper.





	Wish Upon a Grave Mistake

**Author's Note:**

> A surprise oneshot for my “Wish Upon a...” series, focusing on NatsuNao. When I first started this series with one of my older MakoHaru fics, “Wish Upon a Dried Frog's Leg”, I'm pretty sure I hadn't seen High Speed yet, so I didn't know much about Natsuya and Nao. But they had such an intriguing relationship in DTF that I wanted to see how they'd fit into this world. Also, you don't need to have read the other fics in the series to enjoy this one – they each work as standalones set in the same universe, showing different characters and relationships.

To the ignorant outsider, the graveyard was empty that night. It was the middle of winter and not a single light shone out across the pitch black fields that housed generations of families who'd passed away in Iwatobi. Who would brave the weather on such a night when they could visit their loved ones during the day? No sensible person, that was for sure.

Which was exactly what Natsuya was banking on. It had been years since he'd ventured back to Iwatobi (perhaps he should visit Ikuya while he was here...), but the graveyard was hardly part of his old stomping ground. He didn't want to take unnecessary risks by stumbling around when someone might see him.

He scaled the fence and landed heavily inside, his thick boots cushioning the blow. A bird took off and Natsuya paused to make sure that it wasn't a harpy, but he knew that the weather was too cold for them now. So after a few moments, he took off at a brisk walk, shining his torch from one grave to the next as he searched for a suitable target.

Natsuya didn't have a drop of magic running through his veins. Which in this world was often seen as a setback, but Natsuya had worked hard to make sure that it never hindered him. Perhaps he was at a disadvantage to witches, wizards and whatever else was out there, but the Kirishima family didn't let anything hold them back, especially not Natsuya.

He'd gotten into this business while he was travelling, because it was an easy way to make money on the go. Those mages with their potions had to get their ingredients from somewhere and reputable suppliers like Sasabe were too honourable to stock some of the more... extreme samples. Old, dark magic, made from the bones of magical creatures, there was still a thriving market for that in this day and age. Natsuya didn't care what the ingredients were actually used for, so long as he got paid. And the rarer the bones, the higher the price. He'd gone to the depths of the ocean to seek the bones of sirens and other merfolk and he'd scaled the highest of mountains to hunt harpies. But there was something about the bones of simple, human mages that was considered even more taboo.

Iwatobi just happened to have a large population of old witching families, their bones ripe for the picking. Several buyers had already expressed interest – he'd been given advanced payments high enough to make him consider taking the money and running, but Natsuya had a reputation to maintain at this point.

“Let's see... Nope, no, nuh-uh... not a chance...” Natsuya muttered, as he scanned his torch across the lines of graves, “Come on... there has to be a decent one somewhere. Do they keep all the old families inside? ...Wait, Nanase? Yes, that's one!”

Bingo! He'd hit the jackpot. The Nanase family boasted witches for generations and Grandma Nanase had been respected as one of the most powerful of her time. Apparently there'd been some scandal between her son and some mermaid back when Natsuya was just a kid and that was why no one talked about Haru, the result of said scandal, but that was hardly any of Natsuya's business. What mattered to him was how much he could make from this skeleton on the black market.

He took off his backpack and put it on the ground in front of the grave. The grass was still damp from earlier rain, but that didn't deter Natsuya. A little rain water wouldn't keep him from his prize.

Although it might stop his torch. As the droplets splashed up, the torch flickered and threatened to give out. Damn batteries! They weren't worth what you paid for them.

The name 'Nanase', carved into the humble grave, flashed under the small beam of light for a few more moments and then Natsuya was plunged into darkness.

“Come on...!” Natsuya hissed.

He slapped the end of the torch a few times. It came back on.

There was a face. Not more than a few inches away from Natsuya's own. It was as pale as a sheet, with silver hair flowing out behind it and eyes that were impossible to escape. As the face stared at Natsuya, it gave an eerie smile.

Natsuya was not alone in the graveyard.

He screamed and stumbled backwards, torch flying out of his hand. Now Natsuya was left in the dark once more, but he didn't even have another moment to panic about that. He felt his head smack against something and then... he was out.

***

The imprint of those eerie eyes seemed to be left on the back of Natsuya's own eyelids. He couldn't escape them, even in his dreams. But he would not sleep forever...

...As Natsuya came around, the first thing that hit him was the smell of lavenders, which was often used to hide more sinister crimes. Natsuya knew that well. The next thing that hit him was that he couldn't move his arms and legs. He struggled, but he was bound too tight to escape. Natsuya swore out, which seemed to interrupt the humming that came from the other end of the room.

“So you're awake.”

It wasn't a question, it was a statement; delivered calmly, as if the person talking didn't care either way. Probably they didn't.

When Natsuya opened his eyes, what he saw was basically a crypt. He'd been in enough of them to know that. Although usually he'd be trying to rob their contents and that wasn't what was happening right now. This crypt was occupied by more than just the dead. In fact, from the bed in the corner and the small stove, Natsuya could tell that it was lived in.

The person who lived in it was a young man who was watching him with those haunting eyes and a smile that seemed almost vacant. Perhaps Natsuya could talk his way out of this one.

“Hey, so... do you think you could untie me?” Natsuya asked, trying to sound more casual than he felt, “I got lost and I think I might've ended up in the wrong place.”

“You were nothing of the sort,” said the young man, as he pointed to Natsuya's backpack, “Not with that kind of equipment. And to get lost in a locked graveyard at night? That takes some determination, grave robber.”

...No such luck on talking himself out of this then. Damn.

“Come on, no need to throw words like that around,” Natsuya said, “Guy's got to make a living, you know?”

“I do know,” said the young man.

He gestured towards a series of jars on shelves that filled up the entirety of the wall on one side. Now that Natsuya was paying attention, he realised that each jar contained... body parts! Shit! Natsuya struggled against his bonds, suddenly fearful for his life.

“Who are you? What are you going to do to me!” he demanded.

The willowy man made a low bow and then stood back up, his eyes not leaving Natsuya the whole time.

“Nao Serizawa, Gravekeeper of Iwatobi,” he announced, “You were trespassing on my territory and trying to steal the bones of the noble Grandma Nanase. I cannot stand for that.” He kept smiling as he spoke, which only made his threat all the more terrifying.

“S-so you're gonna cut me open...?” Natsuya asked, “Sell my parts on the black market like... like whatever you did to those guys over there?”

Nao shook his head, silver hair waving from side to side; “...Nothing of the sort. I don't kill. I care for these graves. All of my parts were supplied by willing donors on their deathbeds. The local zombie and igor population has needs, you know? I provide a vital service to them.”

“Maybe we have something in common then – taking from the dead to help the living,” reasoned Natsuya, “That's not too different from what I do.”

“You're desperate to say that. What I do helps others, whereas you only help yourself. The world would be a better place if witches and wizards stopped dabbling in the old magic. They're not bold enough to seek out their own ingredients, so it's the likes of you that keep them going.” Nao's eyes narrowed; “...I want it to stop.”

In a single movement, Nao swooped over to Natsuya. He stood all too close now and Natsuya flinched, his heart racing. But he couldn't look away from those eyes, like he was trapped by more than just the straps that bound him.

“W-what are you going to do to me...?” he asked.

“Natsuya Kirishima. The brother of Ikuya, if my assumptions are correct,” Nao said.

“Ikuya! You know him? Then you should call him now! He'll definitely vouch for me,” begged Natsuya.

“You don't visit your brother,” said Nao.

The accusation hung in the air. Natsuya finally managed to tear his eyes away from Nao's, looking away in shame.

“It was never... well, I was always travelling,” he muttered, “Ikuya knew that I'd come back in good time...”

“Yet you did not go to see him upon arriving to Iwatobi. Instead, you came straight here to try to steal from my graves,” Nao said, “No one appreciates that. Not Ikuya, not the igors, not the zombies and especially not me. You've made a bad choice tonight, Natsuya Kirishima.”

Nao raised his hand. Natsuya braced himself.

...The leather straps binding his hands were undone. He couldn't believe it. When Natsuya opened his eyes, Nao was bent down, untying the straps around his ankles.

“You're letting me go...?” Natsuya asked.

“Go to your brother. Do not come here again,” said Nao. He stood back up and stepped away from Natsuya; “I will not be so merciful next time.”

Would there be a next time? Nao had put the fear of death into Natsuya, that was for sure. Yet there was something about Nao that had Natsuya intrigued... You didn't become a graverobber without being a certain degree of bold and stupid, after all. Even Natsuya would admit that about himself. He stepped forward, as if enchanted by Nao's gaze.

“What if I want to see you again?” Natsuya heard himself ask.

“Then you'll become a better person.”

The crypt faded away around him, the world felt suddenly icy and the last thing Natsuya saw before he faded out of existence was not Nao's eyes, but his fixed, calming smile.

***

He woke up. Presumably he'd woken up sometime ago, since he was walking through the streets of Iwatobi and the low, winter sun was beating down on him. But it wasn't until that instant that Natsuya truly felt that he'd woken up.

A quick glance around the streets showed no sign of Nao or the crypt. He was many miles away from the graveyard, for that matter. Natsuya could almost believe that he'd imagined the whole thing, but there was no way he could make up that face. It felt too ethereal for Natsuya to have imagined it.

Although it had been years since he'd last come here, Natsuya knew his way around the town. And he knew where he was going, too. Nao's instructions still echoed in his ears. So he turned now a side street and followed the winding path that led to the Kirishima residence. His family's old home... although only Ikuya lived there now.

Deep breath. Natsuya knocked on the door.

It was answered not by Ikuya, but by a man with ginger hair, whose face was covered in stitches and whose eyes were mismatched. An igor. A very well-built one, for that matter. The igor's shirt hid toned muscles beneath it.

“Can I help you with something?” asked the ginger igor.

“Hey, I'm Natsuya. Is Ikuya here?” Natsuya asked, “He's my brother and we used to live at this address.”

“Still do.”

That voice was familiar, even if it was older now. Ikuya glared out at Natsuya from behind his long bangs. He joined the igor at the door and folded his arms, face set into a frown.

“Long time no see, little brother!” Natsuya announced, “I was just in the neighbourhood and thought I'd drop by for a visit. And who might this be?”

“Asahi. My roommate. I had to split the rent somehow after you disappeared and Asahi's been a lot easier to live with, if I'm honest,” said Ikuya.

“Ah... well, I knew you'd work it out,” Natsuya said, “A Kirishima never gives up, after all.”

“So you say. Well, I guess since you're here, you'd better come inside,” Ikuya replied. Then he turned to Asahi and asked, “Is that all right?”

Asahi gave a smile that drew attention to the stitches above his lip. Natsuya tried not to stare. He hadn't met many igors before and he didn't want to be rude.

“Yeah, sounds like you've both got a lot of catching up to do,” said Asahi, “Besides, my leg's acting up again, so I was going to visit Nao to see about getting a replac-”

“-Nao? You know Nao?” Natsuya cut in.

Both Asahi and Ikuya regarded him with confusion.

“How do you know Nao?” Ikuya asked.

“I think I came across him last night. I, uh, got lost on the road and he directed me here,” said Natsuya. It was close enough to the truth.

“That's strange, I didn't think Nao could travel that far from his graveyard,” Asahi said.

“Does his work keep him tied there?” asked Natsuya.

“More like his corpse. He's told me that he can't wander far from where he died,” Asahi answered, “But he usually only shows himself to people who need his help, so you must be very special, Natsuya.”

“He's a... ghost?”

That explained a lot. But it didn't put Natsuya's mind at ease. Learning you'd been held captive by someone from beyond the grave generally didn't.

***

January was frosty, but Natsuya had to leave Iwatobi before the spring. Once the cherry blossoms arrived, people's heads would turn to romance and that was when they'd seek out that forbidden magic. Graverobbers made a fortune at this time of year and Natsuya wanted to get a head start on the game, to earn enough to see him through the next year.

It had been nice to spend a few months at home with Ikuya, but his brother's reception was almost as chilly as the weather and he'd warmed to Natsuya only a little during that time. It would take more than one visit to win back Ikuya's trust after abandoning him for so many years. Which was why Natsuya planned to come back to Iwatobi in the summer, if he could.

Asahi also turned out to be a decent man – bolder and more talkative than Natsuya had been led to expect from igor stereotypes. Though what he did for a living and how he earned his money was beyond Natsuya. It was also unnerving to see him regularly turn up with different body parts and new stitches. Ikuya had merely laughed the one time Natsuya quietly asked him if Asahi had anything that was originally his own.

The one person Natsuya hadn't seen at all over the last few months was Nao. But that was about to change.

“You went to see your brother.”

Suddenly Natsuya was in the graveyard, where moments ago he'd been on mountain trail. The distant hills were replaced by tombs that ranged from large and grand to small and humble. The mist hung at his ankles, but Natsuya realised that he wasn't afraid.

“Guess I must've been good, if you're showing yourself to me again,” said Natsuya.

He looked up into Nao's eyes, which he hadn't been able to get out of his head since the last time they'd met. Nao haunted his dreams and it turned out that 'haunted' was the right word to use. Although to the untrained eye, Nao looked as solid as any other person. Thinking back to that night, Natsuya could even remember the brief touch of his hands when Nao untied him. They were cold, but so very real...

“You have been acceptable, but you could do better,” Nao said.

“Then I will do! You haven't seen the last of me, Nao Serizawa,” Natsuya purred.

With that, he gave Nao a wink. Whatever effect he expected it to have, the response Natsuya got was the graveyard fading away. The tombs disappeared and the mountain trail returned beneath his feet. The last thing to fade was Nao's face – his eyes vanished and then his calm smile was the last to fade out. Only the fog remained, as thick as ever.

But Natsuya was still not afraid. In fact, he wasn't even unnerved this time. Nao had gained his interest, a feeling that he'd be bold enough to consider was neutral. Why else would Nao have shown himself today when there was nothing to gain from it and Natsuya neither needed help nor punishment? When he came back to Iwatobi in the summer, Ikuya wouldn't be the only person Natsuya came back for.

Only next time, he wouldn't be so foolish as try and steal from the Gravekeeper of Iwatobi.


End file.
